Union County to survey gun vendors on social responsibility


U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance addresses the freeholders at Union County's annual reorganization meeting in Elizabeth. (Tom Wright-Piersanti/The Star-Ledger)

By Tom Wright-Piersanti/The Star-Ledger
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on January 05, 2014 at 3:03 PM, updated January 05, 2014 at 6:18 PM

ELIZABETH — Union County will become the second government in New Jersey to require vendors who wish to sell firearms to county law enforcement agencies to answer questions on gun safety and responsibility.

The initiative was laid out today by newly elected Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak at this year’s county reorganization meeting. Hudak was formally elected chairman at this afternoon’s meeting.

The board’s decision to only do business with gun sellers who answered questions regarding social responsibility follows the model of Jersey City and its mayor, Steven Fulop, who attended today’s meeting. Jersey City is believed to be the first in the nation to make potential gun sellers answer social responsibility questions.

Citing staggering statistics — 35,000 Americans killed by guns in the 12 months since the shooting at the Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Conn., and 7,500 children injured by guns every year — Hudak said that Union County residents are tired of waiting for meaningful reform.

“This freeholder board does not have the ability to regulate firearms,” Hudak said. “But we do have the ability to do business only with responsible vendors of guns and ammunitions.”

According to Hudak, Union County will ask potential gun sellers a series of questions, including:
• What do you do as a vendor to combat illegal gun trafficking and illegal gun crime?
• Do you sell assault weapons for civilian use?
• Do you agree to not sell certain models of firearms for civilian use?

The county is planning a gun buyback this summer, following the success of last year’s program, which collected more than 1,000 guns in Elizabeth, Linden and Plainfield.

The thread of gun violence also ran through the swearing in of Sheriff Ralph Froehlich, the longest-serving sheriff in state history, who was first elected in 1977 and began his 13th term.

“I’m well on my way to catching up to Frank Lautenberg,” the 83-year-old sheriff joked, making reference to New Jersey’s 89-year-old U.S. senator, who died last year.

Froehlich, also noting the shooting in Newtown and the impact it had on him, said reducing gun violence will be his primary focus over the next three years.

Also sworn in was new Freeholder Sergio Granados, a 26-year-old Elizabeth resident, whose family and friends filled three rows of seats in the packed Elizabeth courtroom.

Granados told the crowd that he “believes in open government, and will always be available to you.”

Freeholders Linda Carter and Bette Jane Kowalski were sworn into new terms as well, and Freeholder Mohamed Jalloh was appointed the board’s vice chairman.

Along with his gun sale reforms, Hudak laid out a number of initiatives for the county in coming years. Chief among them was economic development — he said the county will complete a family courthouse in Elizabeth by 2015, expand county college campuses in Plainfield and Cranford, and expand vocational-technical schools.

Hudak said the county also plans to offer free public Wi-Fi access at Wheeler Park in Linden, Ulrich Pool in Rahway, the skating rink in Warinanco Park and the Trailside Center in Mountainside.

http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/20...forcement.html